What are the folklore of the Yi people in Zhaotong, Yunnan? A brief overview

1. Ethnic dress: there are differences depending on the area of residence and dialect, in Qiaojia County, for example: the Yi people of the eastern dialect, men wearing high-collar lapel coat, under the big feet and wide-waisted pants, head wrapped in green or white cloth handkerchiefs, commonly known as a set of head; wrapped around the waistband is called a money belt. Elderly women have their hair plaited around their heads, their heads wrapped in green silk handkerchiefs, and they wear green cloth over-shoulder large-lapeled right-over-right lace garments that are as long as their knees, wide-crotched large-footed lace pants, and embroidered dragon-head shoes. Middle-aged women keep long plaits with two strands, twisted with red and green threads, circled on the head with green or white cloth wrapped around the head, wearing ring-shaped or chain-shaped gold and silver earrings, silver, copper and gold arm bands or rings on both hands, wearing a high-collar lapel with large-over-all right overshoulder lace garment, big-footed lace pants, and wearing embroidered round-toe shoes. The northern dialect of the Yi people, both men and women are wearing black woolen ponchos, known as "擦尔瓦" in Yi. Men wear black narrow-sleeved, high-necked, large-breasted lace coat, pleated wide-footed pants, with green, blue and black cloth wrapped around the head, wrapped around the forehead into a unicorn horn, known as the "Zi Er"; wearing left ear, wearing silver chain earrings, collar, don't silver rows of flowers; woolen pleated skirt, long Qiqi insteps; elderly women wear "Luoban hat", unmarried or married women wear "Luoban hat", "Luoban hat", and the "Loban hat". "unmarried or married young women top embroidered corrugated square handkerchiefs, to the hair plait entangled pressure, square handkerchiefs front cover in front of the forehead, wear earrings, arm bands, rings.　　2. Marriage and Family: The general family of the Yi before the liberation of the territory was a monogamous patrilineal family, with men having the right to inherit property and women not having the right to inherit property. Marriages were arranged by parents and strictly followed the principle of no intermarriage between clans of the same family, no intermarriage with different economic status, no intermarriage with the same Yi surname (Louyi); the implementation of aunts' preferential marriages, and aunts' prohibited intermarriage. Marriage customs also vary in many details depending on the region, dialect and branch. In the eastern dialect, the marriage procedure is: First, the matchmaker is entrusted to propose marriage to the woman, and she agrees to accept the wine, brown sugar and red-dyed eggs brought by the matchmaker, which is called "Dien Wu" (wine). Second, roast chicken to eat, men and women have to slaughter a chicken (men's home for the rooster, women's home for the hen) to entertain the matchmaker. The matchmaker will cross the leg bones of the two chickens into a cross shape, tied with colorful threads for safekeeping, and set up a voucher, which will not allow any party to renege. Third, playing wealth gift (bride price), the female family for the girl to prepare the wedding dress. Fourth, do wine (wedding). The most lively scene in the wedding is the female relatives and friends of young men and women to play Mr. Pawnshop, when the bridegrooming party came to the door to start playing, to Mr. Pawnshop cross into the hall before stopping. Then there is the nightly singing of the Wine Rites Song, which is rumored to have lasted for a month in history. The content of the song is about women's nostalgia for the matrilineal society and their resentment of the patrilineal society, where marriage is not free. The main feature of the wedding customs in the northern dialect is that the bride rides a horse or is carried by the bridegroom. Fifth, after the male family worship, the bride by the bridegroom's female companion all night long, do not allow the groom to approach. The bride goes back to her mother's home for a year or two or three years, and then sent back to her husband's home by her brothers.　　Belief in the existence of spirits, especially ancestor worship, ghost worship is the main content of the original religion of the Yi people. When Christianity was introduced, it gradually spread among the Yi. A small number of people believe in Taoism, Buddhism and Catholicism.

3. Burial customs: historical cremation, now earth burial, Wang family home, after death, we must hold two major rituals: as a sacrifice, to guide the dead to the journey to the netherworld, the Bi Mo recite the "Road Guide"; as a fast, overdose of Yin ghosts into the immortal, and the ancestors with the immortal realm. Every thirteen years after the Lent (Ancestor Ceremony), to determine the family branch of the Yi surname (Lou Yi), and from then on to change the clan for the relationship between the in-laws.

4. Festivals: the main torch festival on June 24 of the lunar calendar and October year. Torch Festival legend varies, are holding up torches or around the bonfire jumping and singing.　　Yi cultural relics found in the area have two Yi seals. One according to the southwestern institute for nationalities translated as "seal handing over to use". Another according to the Bijie region of Guizhou Yi translation group translated as "Tolu Shanli Hu Jie seal", directly translated as "Tutongtang wolf seal".